Feiyin walked slowly beside Shen Mu through the winding path leading away from the Hearthstone Archive. The light morning haze hung between the trees, curling gently through the hanging roots and flowering vines that edged the stone steps. Their footsteps were quiet, soft thuds echoing between moss-covered walls.

  Shen Mu hadn’t said much since the library visit, but Feiyin knew his thoughts were heavy.

  After a few steps in silence, Feiyin broke it with calm certainty. "I want to show you something."

  Shen Mu blinked. "What is it?"

  Feiyin tapped lightly on his temple. "Opening the mind’s eye. I’ve gone through it. I want to help you reach it, too."

  Shen Mu looked surprised, then let out a dry laugh. "You make it sound like snapping your fingers."

  "It’s not," Feiyin admitted. "But I found something while sensing the Governing and Conception meridians—the equilibrium between opposing forces. That balance helped me understand how to direct my inner strength through the spirit."

  He went on, explaining his sensations. The point behind the brow where the two final meridians intersected. The harmonization of inner strength and intention. The pulse. The quiet step through the veil.

  Shen Mu listened carefully, his brow furrowing in concentration. As they walked, Feiyin described how he had felt the world essence, how his inner sense transformed once the mind’s eye opened. Shen Mu didn’t interrupt, but Feiyin could sense the weight of every word landing within his friend’s mind.

  As they rounded a curve in the path, a familiar figure leaned casually against a railing that overlooked the lower cliffs.

  It was Yan Xue.

  She stood tall in the sunlight, her scarlet-red hair cascading down her back like molten silk, catching the light and shifting in hue with every breeze. Her outer disciple robe was slightly adjusted—sleeves rolled up, revealing slender wrists marked with light burn scars from countless refinements. Two silver thread emblems shimmered on her sleeves, marking her as a second-class outer disciple.

  She turned and smiled as they approached.

  "Well, look who it is. Our freshly minted alchemists. Settling in alright?"

  Feiyin nodded politely. "We are. Thanks again for yesterday."

  Yan Xue’s eyes moved over him, then narrowed slightly with amusement. "Hmm. Either you found a secret beauty cream in your room, or the fire of refinement really suits you."

  Shen Mu chuckled under his breath.

  Feiyin offered a half-smile. "Just some morning clarity, I suppose."

  "Careful," she teased. "If you get any more charming, one of the old cougars in the artifact division might decide you’re their next project."

  Feiyin straightened slightly, still smiling. "I’ll make sure to stay vigilant."

  Yan Xue gave a low laugh, pushing herself off the railing. "Come, walk with me. You look like you’ve got more questions than answers."

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  They followed her along the descending path toward the valley crossroads.

  "You boys should start paying attention to what’s in demand," Yan Xue said, gesturing toward a bulletin wall covered in parchment slips. "Basic quotas are fine, but if you want to earn real points, trending products are where it's at. Pills for wound recovery, Qi replenishment, and even smoke bombs are all climbing in demand."

  "Why the sudden increase?" Shen Mu asked.

  Yan Xue’s eyes turned sharp. "The quotas exist for that reason. Those pills are always in demand, but especially now—with all the wars going on."

  Feiyin and Shen Mu exchanged a glance.

  "Wars?" Feiyin asked slowly. "We only ever heard about the one against the Azure Cloud Kingdom."

  Yan Xue tilted her head. "Ah… so you two are from that area. Makes sense. I’m from the opposite end. Closer to the eastern coast of the Magnola continent, in the Warring States Region."

  Feiyin froze mid-step.

  Shen Mu’s jaw slackened. "You mean… the sect reaches that far?"

  Yan Xue nodded. "You really thought this was just a local power? The Saint Spirit Sect’s influence spans a good part of the southeast on the continent. There are dozens of outposts, even more hidden affiliates. Each region has its own recruitment centers and menial disciple divisions."

  "Then why…" Shen Mu trailed off. "Why didn’t we meet anyone from other places in our menial section?"

  "Because yours was just one of many," Yan Xue explained. "Each menial division is isolated. That way, if one collapses, it doesn’t affect the others. They’re divided by region and designed to keep things controllable."

  Feiyin frowned. "Then how does the sect maintain itself on so many fronts?"

  Yan Xue was quiet for a moment.

  "I don’t know the full picture. But I know this: the sect drains every source it can find—people, land, beasts, herbs. Whatever can be taken, is not left behind."

  She glanced back at them, eyes narrowing.

  "Once you reach a certain stage, if they judge that your potential has plateaued… you’re sent to the frontlines."

  Shen Mu’s fists clenched. "So we’re just fuel to them."

  Yan Xue’s voice dropped lower. "I heard rumors…"

  Feiyin felt a chill move up his spine.

  "Some cultivation techniques here—they require refined blood. The blood of cultivators."

  A silence fell.

  Feiyin’s mind reeled. Scenes from the menial section—disciples vanishing without a trace, sudden new arrivals, and the fear in the eyes of those left behind.

  It all connected.

  The wars… weren’t wars. They were controlled slaughterhouses.

  Young recruits, raised like cattles, then bled dry.

  Enemies, ground down into dust.

  And above it all—those who fed on the chaos.

  "So that’s the real face of the sect," Feiyin muttered, eyes shadowed.

  Yan Xue shrugged. "I don’t like it either. But surviving means understanding what you’re walking into."

  Feiyin narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why are you telling us all this?"

  She looked at him for a long moment, then smirked. "Because I saw something in you. Dual emblem, flame and cauldron. There aren’t many of us. Fewer still who show promise from the start. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to form a connection early."

  Feiyin raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by her candor. Still, he listened to the subtle rhythm of her words, the steady beat beneath her voice—there was no falsehood there.

  "You're very straightforward," he said.

  "It saves time," she replied with a shrug.

  Feiyin nodded, a quiet smile tugging at the edge of his lips. "Then I'll take your words seriously. And return the honesty when I can."

  They walked a little longer in silence, the noise of the branch buzzing faintly in the background—voices in the distance, the hiss of cauldrons, the clink of metal in forge halls.

  Feiyin’s mind drifted, thoughts turning over the weight of what they had just learned. But he clung to one thing.

  He wasn’t alone.

  Shen Mu. Yue. Ren.

  They were still moving. Still climbing.

  And no matter how far this web of blood reached—

  He would find a way to burn it down.